Manual pipe dampers .. how, why, when

Yeah I think Harman has alot to lose in a lawsuit .... That's the reasoning behind that one. And seeing that people sue their own friends when they slip on ice nowadays .........

I burn anthracite in my Vigilant 11 for 3 years and still learn a lot. What surprise me is the fact that the Vig 11 works with an internal damper and Vermont Castings write and say no MPD or baro should be used. With an internal damper you must direct the gazes so you by-pass the flue exit and have a much longer path to release the heat to the room. Yesterday and today I'm testing a wood burning kit I made to burn wood with a cleaner combustion. Beeing able to burn wood cleanly during Fall and Spring days when we don't need heat every days is a plus.The temp. on the top (griddle) of the stove= 750 F, temp. at 17 inches high on the flue pipe= 200F. 500 F on the griddle, 150 F on the flue pipe. I had same results with anthracite burning. With an internal damper the heat MUST be released through the stove. I think old stoves builders knew the advantages of it, Glenwood stoves are a good example of the efficiency of an internal damper.

nortcan, it's pretty amazing how much heat the Vigilant II stove transfers from the combustion gasses isn't it? I've measued 140*F stovepipe temperature at 6 feet (1.9 m) with a measued 700*F stovetop. This is without a barometric damper. The internal damper is a well engineered part of this stove that mimics a manual pipe damper's funcion. When using its internal damper once the stove is up to temperature, the thermostatic air control works in conjunction to perform similarly to a barometric damper for best heat transfer. Best of both MPD and Baro systems with out the conditioned room air drain of a baro.

I've burned wood in mine too, both in fireplace mode and closed up. If burning bit (or wood!) in airtight mode, be sure to put the restrictor plate over the inside of the air feed so the fire temperature can be controlled. Also, the secondary air inlet can be used to help completly burn the smoke inside of the side chambers as there's no over fire air inlet in the model 2310. Anthracite needs so much more air than wood or bit to properly burn so I normally have it removed. Without the restrictor plate, the stove can easily exceed Vermont Casting's max temperature of 700*F with wood/bit.



I burn anthracite during the changing seasons by reducing the size of the firebox. Quite simply by using steel plates atop the grates, several old firebrick and burning pea size coal. I cut the size by 25 or 50% by blocking either or both sides of the firebox. This reduces the maximum output by a similar percentage, just right for changing season burns. One just needs to watch the draft doesn't drop too much with such a small fire.

Hi Vig 11 peaBurner, I don't use the restriction plate cause the air channel bring air from that port to the left side of the stove (I did remove every things at the left side) and one other part of air is sent to the right top side for secondary gasses burning jus before the right top exit. Not perfect but better than before. The long path for the combustion air replace the restriction plate and warmup the combustion air. When the stove is around 500F. there is no smoke at the chimney cap. My last wood stove was a V.C. Defiant Everburn(non Cat.) rated at o.8 gr.hr E.P.A. and I saw smoke very often at the top of the chimney ??? So I imagine that my kit is not so bad...
When I reduced the size of the combustion chamber on the Vig 11, it was for spring and fall time but I realized that it was performing so well that it stayed on all last winter. The house was warmer with less anthracite and the stove was easier to manage. The thing that made a big difference is the front plate (1/2 X 5 inches H., steel). With that front plate, the air cannot bypass the coal bed through the horizontal front grill as it used to do before I removed it. That way it's like a closed box seen from the top. I attached a thin plate at the bottom of it, a kind of door to have acces for slicing the grates. Much cleaner when opening the front doors.
The wood kit is just for experiment and helps for wood burning. Anthracite burning is not comparable to wood burning. I wish the same pleasure to all anthracite peoples.
Salutations from Qc

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:nortcan, it's pretty amazing how much heat the Vigilant II stove transfers from the combustion gasses isn't it? I've measued 140*F stovepipe temperature at 6 feet (1.9 m) with a measued 700*F stovetop. This is without a barometric damper. The internal damper is a well engineered part of this stove that mimics a manual pipe damper's funcion. When using its internal damper once the stove is up to temperature, the thermostatic air control works in conjunction to perform similarly to a barometric damper for best heat transfer. Best of both MPD and Baro systems with out the conditioned room air drain of a baro.

I've burned wood in mine too, both in fireplace mode and closed up. If burning bit (or wood!) in airtight mode, be sure to put the restrictor plate over the inside of the air feed so the fire temperature can be controlled. Also, the secondary air inlet can be used to help completly burn the smoke inside of the side chambers as there's no over fire air inlet in the model 2310. Anthracite needs so much more air than wood or bit to properly burn so I normally have it removed. Without the restrictor plate, the stove can easily exceed Vermont Casting's max temperature of 700*F with wood/bit.

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I burn anthracite during the changing seasons by reducing the size of the firebox. Quite simply by using steel plates atop the grates, several old firebrick and burning pea size coal. I cut the size by 25 or 50% by blocking either or both sides of the firebox. This reduces the maximum output by a similar percentage, just right for changing season burns. One just needs to watch the draft doesn't drop too much with such a small fire.

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Was wondering how you shake the ashes clean when you use this method??

Well I have been burning coal in my Russo (not sure the model #) for about 20 years. My particular model has a manual damper built right in at the flue exit on the back of the stove. This is a solid plate of steel. Not full of holes like a typical MPD from the stove dealer. So when I close it down, it traps all the heat in the stove and does not let the heat into the pipe. I can then turn the air down and get a nice long burn. I plan on installing a MPD on my next stove as well. I tried a BPD but did not care for it. Was not able to dial it in I felt. I am used to using a MPD and feel quite comfortable. As was said. Each stove and chimney combo is different so one needs to learn and become accustomed to their own particular setup.

That being said. I still use my Digital readout CO2 meters to read the ppm.

Vin.

I just put a baro damper in my stove pipe. So far so good. My draft is really really strong. Triple insulated stainless steel chimney pipe runs up through the house from the basement. about a 25' stack. I also have a manual pipe damper in after the baro. So it basically goes; stove, baro, MPD. So far I think the fire is easier to control....over time I will tell.

[quote="Bootstrap". So it basically goes; stove, baro, MPD. So far I think the fire is easier to control....over time I will tell.[/quote]

I could be wrong, but I re-configured mine to stove/MPD/baro and it works worlds better than when I had it like yours. MPD keeps draft constant through stove, baro and chimney/wind have a ball flapping and carrying on above it when it's windy. I have total control over what's going on, I leave the door air adjust wide open and throttle the output via either the MPD or quality of my shaking.

My Alaska Kodiak has a round grate and a square bed. If I need less output I don't poke the corners. Maybe not the proper way to do it, but it works great for me. Ash is totally spent coal or ashes and I fill one hod daily, empty ash pan every 3 days. Shake every 12 hours. When I shake it, I open the MPD. I leave it open until the ladies peak (around 20 minutes) then I set the MPD to where I need it, usually totally closed (which trickles the draft anyway due to construction). It couldn't get much easier or predictable. Even a caveman could run my stove...

Bootstrap wrote:I also have a manual pipe damper in after the baro. So it basically goes; stove, baro, MPD. So far I think the fire is easier to control....over time I will tell.

That doesn't sound right to me. The MPD should be at the appliance's breach. The baro should be after it, preferably near the chimney.

63roundbadge ..... You are right. The MPD should be before the barometric draft. Stove/ MPD/ Barometric Draft / Chimney. The Installation and Operation Instructions fo Warm Morning Coal Heaters also show it that way. I have always seen coal stove set up this way.

Can someone point me in the direction of these install instructions? I will re-configure my setup. Right now I am burning pea coal in it and I can't seem to get a good burn cycle.

I found the install manual. The MPD needs to be between the baro and stove. So I have it backwards. I guess I will let the fire go out today and swap it. Luckily its warm out today anyways.

Bootstrap,I would put stove out until you change that. should be stove,mpd,baro. The way you have it,CO could fill your house.

Its been running like that for a while and I'm at work now. My chimney pulls hard, I'm not worried about it at all.

Bootstrap wrote:.. My chimney pulls hard, I'm not worried about it at all.

I wouldn't be either.

Dan